Sea Wing

Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Sea Wing is an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) developed by China's Academy of Sciences Institution of Oceanology. Like other underwater gliders, Sea Wing moves through the water using a buoyancy compensation system filled with oil.

The glider is used for oceanographic research and has on board sensors for to measure seawater temperature, salinity, turbidity, chlorophyll, oxygen content and ocean current changes.

In 2014, a Sea Wing completed a 30 day test in the South China Sea totalling 1022.5 kilometers.

In 2015 Sea Wings were deployed in the East China Sea, South China Sea and other waters of the western Pacific to complete observations of ocean phenomena including the Kuroshio Ocean Dynamic Processes spindle, eddies, and Nanhai Xi boundary flow.

Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang Institute of Automation has also developed a Hybrid Driven Underwater Glider, which uses a feathering propeller that gives it additional speed and maneuverability.